So, You're Like Me Too?
by scream2Bheard16
Summary: Dave thinks that Kurt is invincible, but when he is invited to the Hudson-Hummel house for a pool party, Kurt opens up about his past, and Dave realizes they have alot more in common than he originally thought.


**A/N: I never do this, but I really have to this time. This story is for my friend. May he never feel the need to hurt himself again because of the ignorance and stupidity of other people. I love you hon. **

You always hoped that after your apology, you could be accepted into his life. Even as your romantic feelings for him fade, the desire to be his friend is stronger than ever. So, although you are a tad surprised when Finn calls you and invites you to a pool party at his house for the entire football team, you can't help but be thrilled. Maybe this time you can convince Kurt that your intentions are transparent. Maybe you can convince him to trust you.

So that's how you find yourself sitting at the edge of the Hudson-Hummel pool, hoping that Kurt will walk out of the house and appear next to you, begging to be your friend. You feel silly and childish, but you don't care. You find yourself surprised but glad that most of the football players ditched, leaving the pool surrounded by football gleeks and you. Even though you feel awkward, you couldn't help but smile when Puck drags Kurt out of the house. After much complaining, the fair skinned boy sits down at the opposite edge of the pool. He gives you a small smile, one that reminds you of your tentative acquaintance-like relationship recently. Puck glares at you, and you lift your hands in surrender, mentally promising yourself that you'll never hurt the boy again. The other boys try unsuccessfully to get Kurt to swim, but he doesn't even remove his shirt, comfortable just dangling his feet in the water. Eventually, the boys give up and start a game of chicken instead. After much mental coaxing, you make your way over to sit down next to Kurt.

You take a deep breath and hear yourself ask, "Is it okay if I sit here?" You curse your small, timid voice, thinking it makes you sound weak. He smiles one of his toothless grins and nods. Neither of you speak for a while, both simultaneously comfortable and awkward in one another's presence. Finally you ask, "You don't want to swim?" Your inner voice screams, "Of course he doesn't want to swim you idiot! He's sitting on the outside of the pool!"

All Kurt does is shake his head and reply, "I haven't gone swimming in a very long time".

Only a second passes before your curiosity gets the best of you. "Dude, you have a swimming pool! I'd kill to have one of those in my backyard! Why don't you swim more often?"

"Don't call me dude! And it's none of your business Karofsky!"

You cringe as the sound of your last name reminds you that the two of you are not friends, which means you have no right to ask him these types of questions. But you decide to pester him anyway because you really want to make sure he's okay. "But _Hummel_, swimming is awesome! Even you couldn't care about your hair so much that you won't swim!"

His ice-bitch stare almost shuts you up, but you decide to try one more time. "Come on Kurt! Just tell me why you don't swim! You can trust me!" As soon as the words leave your mouth, you regret them. You've done nothing to prove that he can trust you.

He notices your choice of words and does not agree with them. "I can trust _you_? Why on earth would I trust someone who spent this entire year enjoying making my life living hell? Give me one good reason I should trust you. You treated me just as badly as they did!" Kurt clamps his hands against his mouth, realizing he gave you more information than intended.

You give him a moment to collect himself, but before he can run away, you ask sincerely, "Who's they?"

Kurt sighs, defeated, and says, "My mom's parents."

You wait patiently for more information. After it is obvious that you aren't going to let it go, Kurt tells you his story.

"After my mom died, my dad sunk into a deep depression. For years, he just existed. Finally, when I was twelve years old, my dad decided that enough was enough. He checked into an inpatient program to deal with his depression and left me with my grandparents. By then, it was pretty obvious to everyone around me that I was gay, and well, my grandparents didn't like it. They sent me to therapists and told them that I was 'confused' and needed straightening out. They gave me books and told me that if I prayed hard enough, I could become straight. When nothing worked, they became abusive. They thought that if they hit me hard enough, I would at least pretend that I was straight." He takes a moment to wipe his tears away, but you don't even bother touching yours because you know that won't stop them from coming. "I didn't even realize that people thought there was anything wrong with being gay until I went to live with them. I knew that me, being me, would never be good enough for them. I felt like I was never good enough for anyone. I felt like if I had been enough for my dad, he wouldn't have gotten depressed and had to leave. If I wasn't gay, then my grandparents wouldn't hate me. And if I wasn't gay, I thought that maybe I wouldn't hate me either."

Kurt starts to remove his shirt, and you think Kurt is ready to get away from you and from his past, but after he takes his shirt off, he just sits there. It takes you a moment to see why he took his shirt off, and your first thought is, "Who knew Kurt is badass enough to have a tattoo?" but then you look closely. You realize that instead of being dark and inky like a tattoo, the word scrawled into his side is flesh toned. It doesn't take you long to realize that you are staring at a scar and that Kurt isn't as invincible as you previously thought.

"It says 'failure'," he tells you. "I did that right before I called my dad and told him what was going on. He immediately explained the situations to the doctors at the hospital, and before I knew it, my dad was at my grandparents' house cursing and throwing all of my belongings into a suitcase. It took me another two years before I was comfortable in my own skin, before I was able to love myself again. The scars aren't only skin deep, Dave."

By now, you're shaking uncontrollably. You see the Kurt that he hides behind that HBIC mask of his. You see the Kurt that was once scared and ashamed. You see you, shining in his blue gray eyes, and suddenly, you have even more respect for the boy, because he is as far from a failure as a teenager can get. And you tell him this. You sit with him for what seems like hours, listing all the reasons that he is not a failure. You mention his dancing, singing, and acting. You mention his confidence. But most of all, you mention his kind heart. You tell him how grateful you are that he is so forgiving, and you apologize for your actions once again. You tell him that he is the most amazing person you've ever met.

As you coax Kurt into the pool, you take a breath and think, "That could be me. I could be the one with the scars. I could be the one who accepts himself". And it's in that moment that you decide that who you are, is pretty damn awesome.


End file.
